Sliding shelf structure



April ,1929. J. E. GLOEKLER SLIDING SHELF STRUCTURE I VENTOR.

15 ATTORNEY Filed Oct. 9, 1925 Patented A r. 30, 1929.

UNITED STATES JOHN EDWARD GLOEKLEB, 0F PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA.

SLIDING SHELE STRUCTURE Application filed October 9, 1925. Serial No. 61,521.

My invention is more particularly designed for refrigerators.

The object which I have in view is the provision of a sliding shelf which provides for the flow of refrigerated air around its sides and ends and also through its foraminated floor. Thus a thoroughventilation of the foods or other articles carried by the shelf is assured.

Another object in view is the provision of new and im roved means for slidably mounting the she f in place and also for limiting its insertion into the refrigerator or other container, thus insuring the maintenance of a passageway for the air behind the shelf.

Another object is the provision of an improved shelf structure.

In general my improved shelf-structure comprises a tray-like shelf which is slidably mounted on horizontal guides or rails secured to the inner walls of the refrigerator or other inclosure. To enable the air to pass freely between the side walls of the refrigerator and the shelf, said rails are supported in spaced relation to the side walls.

To insure a similar passage for the air at the rear or inner end of the shelf, suitable means are provided for limiting the inward movement of the shelf on the rails.

As rails I employ channel-shaped metal members, the floor of the channel being vertically disposed and the flanges being turned horizontally inwardly. The shelf has a ventilated floor which may be formed of spaced-apart metal or wooden slats, or of wire screening or perforated metal. I prefer the metal slats.

The side edges of said shelf are formed to slidably fit in the channel uides.

The shelf is also provide with upwardly extending side and rear walls to keep the contents in place.

Other novel features of construction, and also ofarrangement of parts will appear from the following description.

In the accompanying drawings, wherein I have illustrated the best embodiment of the principles of my invention now known to me, Fig. 1 is a horizontal section of a refrigerator compartment in which one of my improved trays shown in plan, is mounted; Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the tray and its guides; Fig. 3 is a sectional detail taken along the line III-III in Fig. 2, and Fig. 4 is a sectional detail taken along the line 1v--Iv in Fig 1.

Referring to the drawings, 1 represents the side walls and 2 the rear wall of a refrigerator compartment, 3 indicating the metal or other interior lining. 4 is the doorway at the front provided with the vertical sealing members 5 against which the door 6 closes.

7 represents a pair of horizontally disposed channel bars set on edge and with their flanges turned toward each other, said bars, hereinafter termed rails are supported from and in spaced relation to the walls 1. Thus the front ends of the rails may rest against the side faces of the sealing members 5 and may be attached thereto, as by the screws 8, while the rear ends of the bars may have the perfbrated plates 9 welded or otherwise attached thereto, said plates fitting flat against the rear wall 2 and being attached thereto as by screws 10. It is thus evident that a free passage 11 is provided between the side walls 1 and the rails 7 at each side for the upward passage of cold air.

The shelf which is slidably mounted for horizontal movement on the rails 7 is preferably formed of galvanized sheet metal and of the following construction.

12 represents a pair of members or bars set on edge and their flanges turned inwardly, the top flanges being widerthan the bottom flanges, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. The bars 12 are of proper height to slide without bind ing in the tracks 7.

13 represents the slats which form the floor of the shelf. Said slats with the exception of the rear slat 13*, are channel members with their flanges turned downwardly and having their ends inserted into the channel members 12.

14 represents the sides of the tray which may be formed integrally with the members 12, the metal being doubled to form the top flange of the member 12 and the bottom flange of the side 14. The top edges of the sides are upset outwardly and downwardly, as at 14, to form a smooth edge. The sides 14 are set inwardly to clear the tracks 7.

Rivets or bolts 15 extend through the flanges of the members 12 and through the slats 13 to assemble the shelf rigidly together.

The rear wall of the shelf is formed by the rear flange of the rear slat 13 which flange is bent upwardly, as at 13", instead of downwardly, and is wide enough to form the rear wall of the tray of equal height with the side walls. The top edge of the upwardly exextend upwardly shelf.

tending flange of the rear slat is also upset rearwardly and downwardly to form a finished edge.

It is important to prevent the shelf being moved rearwardly into contact or near contact with the rear wall 2. Thus I punch from the top flan e of one of the rails 7 a tongue 16 which is cut downwardly so as to be engaged by the rear end of one of the members 12, thus halting the rearward movement of the shelf, and leaving an unobstructed rear passage 17 therefor. When the shelf is in place it stops short of the doorway, providing an unobstructed space 18 for the upward passage of cold air.

If desired the shelf'may be formed of wood with a slatted or otherwise ventilated floor, or its floor may be of wire mesh or perforated metal.

It is evident from the foregoing that when my shelf is inserted in position the refrigerated air'flows upwardly at its sides, front and rear. Thus notwithstanding how full the shelf may be of articles of food and the like, the refrigeration is not interrupted.

In many cases housewives are in the habit of lining the shelves with paper, thus obstructing or interfering with the upward passage of the refrigerated air through the slatted or otherwise ventilated floor of the shelf. In the case of my improved shelfconstruction such practice does not obstruct the upward passage of the refrigerated air because of the unobstructed passages 11, 17 and 18 at the sides, front and rear of the without danger of spilling or of interfering with the free movement of the shelf.

The side and rear walls of the shelf, which from thefloor thereof, also serve to aid in t e upward travel of the cold am In the common practice of refrigerator construction, the shelves, where they are slidable at all, are sup orted in such a manner that they easily stic and jamb, making their removal or insertion a laborious operation, and therefore it is the custoh to permit the shelves to remain stationary, reaching into the refrigerator to place things and remove posed rails comprising channel-irons disposed on their sides with their flanges extending toward each other, said rails being spaced inwardly from the tide walls of the compartment to provide air passages, and a shelf having vertical side portions with channel irons secured to the bottom edges thereof forming flanges and extending outside of said vertical side portions which slidably fit in the hollows of the channel-iron rails.

' 2. In combination with a compartment having vertical side and rear walls and a doored opening in the front, vertical ribs formed on the side walls and positioned in the door opening, a sliding shelf-structure comprised of horizontally disposed rails secured at their front end to said ribs and at their rear end to the rear wall of the compartment and arranged "parallel with and spaced outwardly from the side walls, and a shelf slidably mounted on said rails and adapted to be inserted or removed through said doorway, and said rails and said shelf being provided with inter-engaging means for limiting the inward movement of said shelf along said rails to provide a passage for the upward travel of air in the rear of said shelf.

3. In combination with a compartment having vertical side and rear walls and a doored opening in the front, vertical ribs formed on the said side walls, a'sliding shelf-structure comprised of horizontally disposed rails secured at their front end to said ribs and arranged parallel with and spaced outwardly from the side walls to provide a passageway for the upward travel of air at the sides of said shelf, a shelf slidably mounted on said rails and adapted to be inserted or' removed through said doorway, and said rails and said shelf being provided with inter-engaging means for limitingthe inward movement of said shelf along said rails to provide a passageway for'the upward travel of air in the rear of said shelf, and said means being so disposed that the front of said shelf is spaced inwardly from the closed door to provide a similar passageway at the front of the shelf.

4. In a shelf-structure for the purpose described, the combination of a pair of longitudinally disposed side members having channel irons positioned outside of the side edges thereof to form flanges with their ends turned inwardly, and transversely disposed floor slats having their ends fixedly secured in the channels of said channel irons.

5. Ina shelf-structure for the purpose described, the combination of a pair of longitudinally disposed side members having channel irons on their outside edges to form flanges with their ends turned inwardly, and

transversely disposed slats formedof an 1e irons with their flan es turned downwardly and having their en s fixedly secured in the channels of said channel irons.

6. In a shelf-structure for the purpose described, the combination of a pair of longitudinally disposed side members comprising channel irons with their flanges turned in- V wardly, and transversely I formed of angle irons with their flanges turned downwardly and having their ends so posed slats cured in the channels of said side members,

and the innermost slat having one of its.

flarlifes turned upwardly to form the rear wa of the rshelf.

7 In a shelf structure for the described, the combinationof a pair of longitudinally disposed side members havin channel irons on the outside edges thereo said irons being turned inwardly, transversely disposed slats having their ends fixed in the channels of said irons, and vertical side walls integral with and extending upwardly from-sa d side members,

8.- In a refrigerator structure, the combina tion of a compartment having inclosing walls at sides and rear and a doorway in its front, said doorway\be' provided with vertical ribs formed in \the side walls of the refrigera- I tor and extending inwardly'thereof forming sealing members against which the door closes and providing a cold air sfssage-way at the rear of the door, horizont y disposed rails secured to said ribs and having their rear ends secured at the rear wall, and a shelf slidably mounted on said rails and adapted to be inserted through said doorway.

9. In combination with a compartment having vertical side and rear walls and a door pgening in its front, verticalribs formed on a e sides of the compartment and positioned in the door opening, of horizontally dis osed rails secured at their front end to sai ribs and at their rear end to the rear wall of the compartment, said'rails being of channel shaped cross sectional character with the channels turned toward each other and a shelf having outwardly extending horizon-c tally di sed side membersformmg flanges also of c annel shaped cm sectional char acter with the channels turned inwardly and slidably fitting within said rails, the rails being spaced inwardly from the side walls to provide for the u ward passa of the air currents at each si e of the shel Signed at Pittsburgh, Pa., this 5th day of October 1925.

Join: EDWARD GLOEKLEB. 

